The unauthorized use of a motor vehicle by persons with suspended operating privileges result in great costs to society. According to a recent study in California, 8.5 percent of drivers in fatal crashes were operating a motor vehicle with suspended privileges at the time of the crash. In comparison, only 1.5 percent of the driving population had suspended privileges.
Conventional systems are drawn toward theft deterrent of the vehicle, disabling the vehicle unless proper authority to operate is recognized. U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,722 issued to Keating et al. is one such patent. In Keating, the operation of a vehicle is limited to individuals with proper authorization and for a limited period of time. The operator is provided with an identification card. The identification card identifies the operator and the operator's period of operation is encoded on the card. The card may be a magnetic or an optical card. The information is read by a card reader/time display and compared to the memory of a controller.
If the information provided to the controller is valid in regard to the controller memory, the operator may start the vehicle. If the information is not valid, the controller disengages the ignition switch and fuel line and locks the hood, disabling the vehicle.
Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,284. The concept of this invention is similar to the '722 patent, however, it is not drawn toward prohibiting starting the vehicle or opening the hood. Rather, the '284 patent discloses locking the steering wheel. If the information provided does not match the memory of the controller, the steering mechanism is locked and an operator is unable to steer the vehicle.
It would be advantageous to have an apparatus which does not disable the vehicle. It would be advantageous to have an apparatus which does not limit use of vehicle to a restricted period or to restricted individuals. No existing invention is designated to insure against the unauthorized use of a vehicle with the above advantages.